The best way to spend 72 hours in the Philippines

Picturesque volcanoes, pristine white-sand beaches and frenetic parties—there’s a lot to pack into a weekend in the island nation.

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Day 1: Manila

For the city slickers

8AM: Get into Manila on an early flight and escape the chaos of the city as you check into the Peninsula Manila (Manila.peninsula.com), with its palm-fringed lobby and sunburst ceiling sculpture by Napoleon Abueva, the Philippines’ national artist. Squeeze in a quick soak in the tub with their Oscar de la Renta bath salts, or enjoy a sumptuous buffet with local Filipino dishes at their restaurant, Escolta at this storied hotel.

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10AM: Climb aboard a Jeepney (a brightly coloured hybrid between a Jeep and bus) for a bespoke city tour. Shoe addicts can head to the Marikina Shoe Museum (Marikina.gov.ph), a shrine to the First Lady Imelda Marcos’s collection of footwear. Take a breather from the tropical heat with a halo-halo, a Pinoy dessert of shaved ice, condensed milk and purple yam ice cream.

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Noon: Make your way to the otherworldly stone citadel of Intramuros. This walled city, the oldest part of Manila, has stood firm through wars, invasions and natural disasters. The bestway to experience it is through the stories of Carlos Celdran, who isn’t just a tour guide but a cultural activist and performance artist. Later, settle in for lunch at Ilustrado (Ilustradorestaurant.com.ph), an old Spanish villa turned restaurant that features a delicious salmonhead sinigang soup.

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4PM: While shoppers can head to the sprawling Greenbelt mall in Ayala Centre in Makati or Greenbelt 5 for homegrown brands, art enthusiasts must visit the industrial strip on the fringe of Makati city. Finale Art File (Finaleartfile.com) hosts young and budding artists, while Silverlens Galleries (Silverlensgalleries.com) specialises in photography. The Drawing Room (Drawingroomgallery.com) is also a great place to get an insight into the driving forces behind the contemporary art movement in Manila.

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6PM: Hire a limousine from the hotel and head to Tagaytay, a high-altitude neighbourhood that the city’s A-listers escape to on weekends. Here you can see the volcano-ception—a lake within the still-active crater of Taal volcano, situated in the middle of a larger lake, which itself sits in the crater of another volcano.

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10PM: End your day with dinner at Antonio’s (Antoniosrestaurant.ph), voted one of Asia’s 50 best restaurants in 2015. Serving the best of Pinoy cuisine, it’s known for its lechón (slow-cooked suckling pig) that comes with mango chutney, balsamic pearl onions and sautéed mushrooms. Later, to indulge in the country’s favourite pastime, head to the Malate or Makati district and down to a karaoke parlour or party it up at Valkyrie (Valkyrie.thepalacemanila.com) and Prive (Priveluxuryclub.com).

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Day 2: Cebu

For the water babies

10AM: Charter a flight to Cebu’s Lapu-Lapu airport, or better yet, take a seaplane to the island and see the Philippines in all its 50 shades of blue. In Lapu Lapu, head straight into the water with any of the PADI-certified dive schools lining the shores and dive along marine sanctuaries to see barracudas, stone fish, squids and octopuses. The not-so-adventurous can check into an oceanfront villa with its private plunge pool at the gorgeous Abaca boutique resort (Abacaresort.com).

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Noon: Cebu’s most exclusive fine dining address also packs in great views—it’s perched on a hill. Chef Marco Anzani’s New Mediterranean sensibilities translate into poached Chilean mussels, chilled gazpachos and silky Wagyu burgers. Thankfully, Anzani (Anzani.com.ph) has no dress code, so you can pull out your laid back holiday finest.

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3PM: In 1521, on the first ever circumnavigation of the globe, Ferdinand Magellan made a stop in Cebu, bringing with him the first of the Philippines’ Spanish influences and Christianity. Magellan and his sailors marked the spot with a cross that you can still visit today. Magellan also met his end at Lapu-Lapu at the hands of the eponymous chieftain, whose statue stands in neighbouring Mactan.

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5PM: If you have the time to chase only one thing in Cebu, let it be lechón. Though you’ll eat it in several forms all over the Philippines, Cebu is its spiritual home. This Spanish-origin dish features a whole pig roasted over charcoal for several hours till the skin becomes crisp and the meat mouth-wateringly tender. The best is found at Rico’s Lechon (Tel: +63323440119) in Mabolo. Even Anthony Bourdain approves of it.

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Image: Instagram.com/sugbomercado/

7PM: Make some room for dinner, because you’ll need it. Sugbo Mercado (Sugbomercado.com) is Cebu’s night market, dedicated exclusively to food. Over a hundred vendors gather here every weekend, dishing out cutting-edge cuisine, from the very Filipino silvana to tipsy pops, Cebu’s famous spiked popsicles. Later you can head to JY Mall and flag down one of the loitering bikers that double as taxis and ask them to take you to Tops Lookout Point, 600 metres above Cebu, from where you can see the city sprawl like a glittering glove into the ocean.

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Day 3: Boracay

For the party lovers

10AM: Climb aboard your air taxi and prepare for a short hop to the island of Boracay, famous for its white-sand beaches and crazy parties. The place to stay is the stunning Shangri-La Boracay Resort and Spa (Shangri-la.com)—even the speedboat ride from Caticlan airport to the hotel is spectacular. Away from Boracay’s boisterous and crowded beaches, this resort boasts two private white-sand beaches— Punta Bunga and Banyugan Beach (though the latter comes with its own beachside cocktail bar).

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Noon: Dial down from the activities of the last few days with a long, therapeutic massage at the hotel’s Chi Spa (Shangri-la.com). The Filipino Hilot massage was traditionally used to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal ailments but here it takes the form of a massage using warm banana leaves and coconut oil to release and unblock energy pathways. It’s 90 minutes of sheer bliss.

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4PM: As the heat of the day wanes, climb aboard a paraw, a local sailboat, and go island hopping. These boats sail around the coastline on four-hour trips, stopping at secluded beaches to let you snorkel and swim, and finally dock to witness one of Boracay’s spectacular sunsets. Feeling peckish? Coax the boatmen to set up a barbecue on the beach and enjoy the catch of the day.

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9PM: Few people come to Boracay for culture; the destination made its name as a backpackers’ haven. Most of the action is centred around D’Mall at Station 2 on White Beach. Make sure you plunge into party spots like Cocomangas Shooter Bar (Cocomangas.net), best known for their 15-shots challenge—if you’re still standing after 15 shots, you get your name engraved on the wall. Fantastic food is the calling card at Epic Boracay (Tel: +63362881477). Parties in Boracay only really start kicking off towards midnight, so grab a couple of drinks on White Beach andwait for the fire dancers to come out before you dance the night away.